UK to Legislate Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence for Big Business and Ban Forced-Labour Goods
The UK Government on November 4 announced the outcome of its Responsible Business Conduct review, committing to legislate a new mandatory human rights due diligence law and to introduce a prohibition on products made with forced labour. In a written statement to Parliament, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the current framework for preventing forced labour is fragmented and overly reliant on voluntary action and reporting, leaving the UK out of step with G7 partners and other major trading economies.
Under the plans, the regime will cover UK businesses with global turnover above £350 million and non-UK businesses with UK-generated turnover above the same threshold, aligned with the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. A regulator will be able to investigate businesses suspected of placing goods made with forced labour on the market and, where due diligence duties have not been met and forced labour is identified, direct their withdrawal. In Northern Ireland, the EU's Forced Labour Regulation will apply under the Windsor Framework.
Source: UK Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：伦敦威斯敏斯特宫（英国议会大厦）。Colin 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / Photo: The Palace of Westminster in London. Photo by Colin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
